NZ median house price hits new high (+graphics)

The median house price in New Zealand rose to a record $380,000 last month as sales jumped by almost a third compared to October 2011, according to the Real Estate Institute.

Sales rose 32.6 percent to 6,640 in October from a year earlier and were 17.5 percent higher than in September this year, the institute said in its monthly report. The median house price rose from $371,000 in September.

The REINZ Stratified House Price Index, which adjusts for the proportion of higher or lower-value homes sold, climbed 6.9 percent from October last year to a record high index level of 3,495.1. Auckland's median house price also set a new record, rising 2.9 percent to $530,000.

All regions recorded an increase in sales volumes from the same month last year, with the biggest gains coming for Central Otago Lakes jumping 54 percent, Northland up 52 percent and Hawkes Bay up 47.7 percent.